New method helps researchers, regulators, and innovators better understand the full PFAS picture

MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESS Newswire / March 12, 2026 / Pace® Analytical Services, the preferred provider of regulatory testing and analytical laboratory services, and a Division of Pace®, a Science and Technology Company, announced today the launch of a new proprietary testing method designed to detect ultrashort-chain per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Ultrashort-chain PFAS, defined as compounds with three or fewer carbon atoms, are recognized by researchers as both highly persistent and exceptionally mobile in groundwater. Despite their prevalence, these compounds are not included in published PFAS method lists such as 537.1, 533, or 1633.

"Most PFAS testing today captures only a small fraction of the more than 15,000 PFAS compounds that exist," stated Nick Nigro, PFAS Product Manager, Pace®. "Ultrashort-chain PFAS are often present at much higher concentrations than their longer chain counterparts, yet they've remained outside the scope of standard methods until very recently. This new method helps close a gap in our understanding of PFAS occurrence and behavior in the environment."

Pace® developed this method based on a forthcoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water method, currently in development and expected to be published as EPA Method 563. The Pace® method uses comparable instrumentation and quantification techniques for established PFAS methods, ensuring consistency and reliability in aqueous samples.

Pace® is a portfolio company of Leonard Green & Partners and Los Angeles-based Aurora Capital Partners.

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About Pace® Analytical Services

Pace® makes the world a safer, healthier place. Pace® people are committed to advancing the science of businesses, industries, consulting firms, government agencies, and others by providing local-level service backed by a national laboratory network. Through our in-lab and emergency onsite containment and regulatory services, we ensure our air, water, soil, and more are safe for our communities and lives. Pace® also supports customers with in-house labs, providing a range of professional services to keep their operations moving forward. Learn how Pace® people are working to advance science through sustainable practices and continuous innovation at PACELABS.com.

Media Contacts:

Pam Bednar
612.297.0651 | pam.bednar@pacelabs.com

Brooke Schwartzel
612.656.2241 | brooke.schwartzel@pacelabs.com

SOURCE: Pace® Analytical